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Taliban Warns Pope Over Christian Missionaries in Afghanistan

The militant Afghani Taliban movement warned the Pope that if he did not stop the Christian preaching activities undertaken by the U.S. army in Afghanistan he should expect to see "harsh reactions from angry Afghan Muslims."

The statement, which was posted on the Internet, condemned what the group described as "a continuation of the Crusaders launched by Bush in Afghanistan" and comes after the Arab news network , Aljazeera broadcasted footage showing U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan being instructed by a military chaplain to "hunt people for Jesus" and spread Christianity amongst the Afghan population.

The group also appealed to scholars in Afghanistan to monitor such activities and disallow the preaching of other religions in the country. The group also told the Afghani government to stop defending the "Crusaders" and "return to their senses" instead of pointing their guns towards the militants.

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